C-River Govt Distributes Coronavirus Palliatives
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – The Cross River State Government has taken delivery of consumable goods worth millions of Naira for distribution to households in the state as COVID-19 palliatives to cushion the effect of nationwide lockdown and forced stay-at-home for Nigerians.
This is even as the government also announced the creation of about 8,000 job opportunities for youth between the ages of 18 to 35 with an average monthly take home pay of N30,000.00.
Governor Ben Ayade, who officially handed the goods over to the Chairman of Cross River Traditional Rulers Council (CRTRC), Etinyin Etim Okon, explained that involving the traditional institutions in distributing the welfare items is meant to enhance transparency and avoid partisanship in the process.
He said as royal fathers, they are well placed to know and identify the poor and vulnerable in their various domains who will benefits from the palliatives
Governor Ayade thanked donors of the items for their kind gesture and directed the CRTRC to transparently distribute the items among the 18 Paramount Rulers in the state who in turn must ensure effective allocation to the poor and needy in their respective local government areas.
He specifically lauded the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Agency (PHEDA) for donating a trailer load of rice; the 7Up Bottling Company for following suit with a truck load of food beverages, including Pepsi and Miranda drinks as well as cartons of bottle water; the Niger Mills Plc, which also donated truck loads of Wheat flour, Noodles and Indomie to the State.
According to Governor Ayade, other items such as yams, onions, bags of garri and palm oil also handed over to the traditional rulers, were courtesy of the initiative by Her Excellency, Dr. Lynda Ayade while hand sanitizers were produced by the state government.
He re-emphasized the importance of the “No mask no movement policy of his administration”, though the State is not completely locked down aside the intra-state and International border closure.
On the planned recruitment of about 8,000 job seekers by the administration, Governor Ayade said the initiative aims at cushioning the effect of post coronavirus era, adding that the process would not be limited to youths from Cross River alone but to all Nigerians residing in the South South state.
In her remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Beta Edu, whose ministry is the principal Technical Partner in the fight against the spread of Coronavirus in the state, praised the governor for taking rapid proactive response measures that have enabled the State to remain COVID-19 zero positive.
She assured the donated food items would actually get to the grassroot without discrimination in terms of party affiliation because poverty does not know political party boundary.
Reacting to the State government’s decision to involve traditional rulers in distribution of the palliatives, Chairman of CRTRC, Etinyin Etim Okon Edet commended the governor for what he described as noble and a novel plan to assist the suffering masses in the State.
Etinyin Okon Edet, who is the Paramount Ruler of Bakassi Local Government Area, called on other states to emulate Governor Ayade’s model of involving the traditional institutions in the exercise to create the desired impact within the distribution chain.
